Frost Protected Foundation System and Method of Using

ABSTRACT

A shallow foundation form and method of using are provided. The form is useful for pouring concrete slab foundations and results in a frost protected foundation with improved thermal characteristics. The form may include brackets to hold rebar at various locations. The brackets are designed to avoid the use of fastening devices, such as wire ties. When used to pour a concrete foundation, the form and brackets reduce construction material input costs, reduce the amount of skilled labor required, and reduce the amount of time required to pour a foundation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/544,854 filed Aug. 13, 2017. The U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/544,854 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The subject disclosure relates to shallow, frost protected foundations and their use in pouring concrete foundations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for constructing frost protected, concrete slab foundations. The system reduces labor and material inputs and results in a frost protected, concrete foundation that transfers minimal heat from the concrete slab to the surrounding earth.

In cold, winter months, soil is prone to freezing. The boundary line between frozen soil and unfrozen soil is referred to as the frost line. The frost line can be as deep as five feet below the surface of the ground in cold climates, such as northern Minnesota.

Historically, deep footings have been used for cold weather building foundations. For example, deep footings may be up to five feet below the surface. To make deep footings, builders excavate the earth below the frost line. The excavated earth is then filled with concrete to create deep, vertically oriented, concrete footings. The bottom of the deep footings is located below the frost line, thereby ensuring that the structure is resting on earth that never freezes. This technique requires excavating the earth below the frost line. It also requires more concrete, compared to a shallow footing foundation. There is a need for a frost protected foundation that protects from frost heave, requires less concrete, and requires less skilled labor.

Insulating materials, such as foam, can be used to create a shallow, frost protected foundation that reduces the amount of concrete that is required and reduces the amount of skilled labor that is required to construct a frost protected concrete foundation.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,083, Mussell describes a concrete slab forming system with perimeter insulation. The forming system includes an inner piece of insulation and an outer piece of insulation. The inner and outer pieces of insulation are not connected by a bottom piece of insulation. Therefore, extra care must be taken during installation of form tie assemblies to ensure that the desired offset between the top of the inner insulation and the top of the outer installation is achieved. Additionally, heat loss is greater through the uninsulated, bottom surface of the form described in Mussell, compared to a system where the bottom surface of the perimeter is insulated. Greater heat losses result in higher winter heating costs for homeowners.

JPH 08-260480A describes a form for placing concrete. The form includes an internal form and an external form. A concrete foundation poured using this form would not include insulation on the bottom surface of the perimeter and would suffer from greater heat losses, compared to a form system that includes bottom insulation. Because the internal form and external form of JPH 08-260480A are not part of an integral piece, extra care must be taken when installing spacers between the internal form and external form to ensure the desired offset between the top of the inner form and the top of the external form.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,319 Sorqvist describes a method of erecting a foundation structure for a building substructure. The form shown in Sorqvist is made of two concrete side flanges that are connected with a web of concrete at the bottom. The bottom concrete web includes apertures, through which concrete is allowed to penetrate. An insulating layer is shown on one of the side flanges. A form system made of concrete is much heavier and difficult to transport to and install at a job site. Additionally, insulating only one side of the form would allow increased heat transfer from the foundation, compared to a form that includes insulation on both sides and the bottom. Apertures are also an additional place for heat to escape from the concrete slab to the surrounding earth.

In the United States Patent Application Publication US 2014/0260022 A1, Lewis describes a permanent frost protected shallow foundation footing with a boot shaped cavity.

SUMMARY

The disclosed aspects relate to a frost protected foundation system which includes forms for pouring concrete to create a concrete surface. The concrete surface may be a slab foundation or a floor of a building. The forms may be made out of foam and they may be constructed so that they easily stack for more compact stacking and more efficient form shipping. The forms comprise an inner wall and an outer wall and may have an angled edge on the top of the outer wall. The distance between the top of the inner wall and the top of the outer wall may determine the thickness of the concrete surface to be poured. The concrete surface may be the floor of a house or other building structure. The forms may include brackets that are installed within the form to provide structure to the inner and outer walls. The brackets may include rebar holders to hold rebar at more than one vertical level or horizontal position. The forms may be cut to create angled forms that create a 90-degree angle when two forms are placed next to each other. The forms may be cut to create different angles for creating unique shaped foundation corners. The form and brackets may be used with in-floor heating to build a high efficiency home that has minimal heat loss to the surrounding earth and environment.

The various features of this form and bracket system may be used alone or in combination with each other. The above features and additional features will be described in more detail in the detailed description section and in conjunction with the following Figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To better disclose the invention, various aspects are discussed with reference to the following figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a form that can be used to pour concrete footings and foundations, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a form that can be used to pour concrete footings and foundations, where the form includes a bracket with rebar holders and is cut at an angle to create a corner when combined with another form, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 3 is an overhead view of two forms joining together to create a 90-degree angled corner, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 4 is an overhead view of two forms joining together to create a corner, where the internal angle is greater than 90-degrees, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a form that can be used to pour concrete footings and foundations, where the form includes a bracket with rebar holders that can hold rebar at two different heights and two different horizontal positions at each of the two heights, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a bracket with rebar holders, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a bracket with rebar holders where the four bracket pieces are disassembled from each other, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a form with two brackets installed that is holding four pieces of rebar, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 9 is an overhead view of two adjacent forms being held together by a bracket, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a depiction of the form and bracket system being used with other features to construct the foundation footings and floor of a building, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a job-site where the earth has been prepared to receive the form and bracket system, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 12 is an overhead view of two forms that are connected to form an angled corner and that are held together by corner brackets, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 13 is a first view of a corner bracket, in accordance with some of the embodiments;

FIG. 14 is a second view of a corner bracket, in accordance with some of the embodiments; and

FIG. 15 is a compact bundle of forms and other pieces of the form system, in accordance with some of the embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The form 1 in FIG. 1 has a fixed distance between the top of the inner wall 2 and the top of the outer wall 3. This fixed distance determines the depth of a concrete slab, when using the form to pour a slab foundation where the concrete slab is surrounded on the perimeter by forms 1. This distance may range from two to twenty-two inches, depending on desired concrete slab depth. The form 1 may contain an inner wall 2, an outer wall 3, and a base 4. The inner wall 2, outer wall 3, and base 4 may be formed from a continuous piece of material, such as foam. The foam may comprise expanded polystyrene. The outer wall 3 may range in thickness from one to four inches and may range in height from four (4) inches to forty-eight (48) inches. Unless otherwise stated, all ranges described here include the endpoints and allow for normal variances that arise from manufacturing. The inner wall 2 may range in thickness from one inch to four inches and may range in height from four (4) inches to forty-eight (48) inches. The base 4 may range in thickness from one (1) inch to four (4) inches and may range in width from twelve (12) inches to forty-eight (48) inches. The form 1 in FIG. 1 may be constructed from an insulating material with an R-Value from four (4) to eighteen (18) and may depend on thickness. The R-value is a measurement of an insulative material's ability to resist heat transferring through it and is a commonly used term in the art. The form may have angled edge 5 which allows a concrete surface to extend to the outermost edge of the outer wall 3. The angled edge 5 allows a concrete slab's depth to taper down in thickness at the outer wall 3. The angled edge 5 may create an angle that is greater than zero (0) degrees and less than ninety (90) degrees when measured from the horizontal as shown by the double-sided arrow in FIG. 1. The angled edge 5 may be angled at a 45-degree angle when measured from the horizontal as shown by the double-sided arrow in FIG. 1. The inner wall 2 and outer wall 3 are connected by base 4. Manufacturing the form 1 from a continuous piece of foam is advantageous in that it reduces labor costs and avoids seams between the form walls and base that could be a source of heat loss from the concrete to the surrounding earth. The foam material used to make the forms may be a foam that concrete adheres to.

The form 1 may be shaped to allow compact stacking during shipping. A description and figure showing a compact bundle of forms and other pieces of the form system is shown later in this document. Forms that will be used to create the corner of a concrete foundation may be angled to allow two forms to come together and create a corner. An example of a corner form is shown in FIG. 2. The form 6 in FIG. 2 has a non-uniform side 7 that is shaped to be mated up with another form. After the two forms are connected, the two forms create a form that is non-linear. For example, two forms may have non-uniform sides 7 that create a 90-degree angle when the two forms are mated together. This feature is advantageous, for example, in the corner of a square shaped foundation. The non-uniform side 7 may be cut prior to shipping to the construction site or the non-uniform side 7 may be cut at the construction site. The non-uniform side 7 may be shaped to create a foundation corner that comprises a 90-degree angle, as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows an overhead view of an example foundation corner. Alternatively, the non-uniform side 7 may be shaped to create a foundation corner that comprises a 135-degree angle, as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an overhead view of an example foundation corner. Alternatively, the non-uniform side 7 may be shaped to create a foundation corner that is angled at an angle greater than 0-degrees and less than 180-degrees. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the angle of the foundation corner described here is measured as the interior angle that is created and measured from the inner wall of each of the two forms that mate together to form an angled foundation corner. This angle is indicated by a double-sided arrow in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 shows the form of FIG. 1 where a bracket assembly 8 is installed between the inner wall 2 and outer wall 3. Bracket assembly 8 may be made from copolymer polypropylene, plastics, wood, or metal. For example, the bracket assembly may be made from Teflon, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), polypropylene, textured HDPE (high density polyethylene), acrylic, smooth HDPE (high density polyethylene), nylon, UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), or clear polycarbonate or similar materials such as these. The word “or” as used in this application means that either one thing or the other can be used or a combination of the two things can be used. For example, the bracket assembly 8 may be made from copolymer polypropylene, plastic, or a combination of copolymer polypropylene and plastic. Multiple bracket assemblies 8 may be installed in the form 1. The bracket assemblies 8 hold the inner wall 2 and outer wall 3 at a fixed distance from each other, thereby providing a uniform form for concrete to be poured into. The bracket assemblies 8 also provide structural rigidity to the form 1 and prevent the inner wall 2 and outer wall 3 from moving inward or outward. The bracket assemblies 8 may be spaced at desired intervals of a given length. For example, the brackets may be spaced between one inch and eight feet apart. In certain applications, the brackets may be spaced between two feet and three feet apart. The distance between the inner wall 2 and outer wall 3 may be constant from top to bottom in order to provide a form with parallel or substantially parallel walls. The word substantially is used here to allow normal variances due to manufacturing. Inner wall 2 and outer wall 3 may be parallel from the points at which the inner wall 2 and outer wall 3 touch the base 4 to the points at the top of the inner wall 2 and outer wall 3. A form with parallel walls is advantageous in that concrete flows easily into the form and readily fills the form with concrete from above. Mechanical stirring with power tools may not be required because of the shape of the form. Concrete flows easily and unrestricted into all areas of the form from above. The form 1 in FIG. 5 does not comprise cavities or areas that obstruct the free flow of concrete into the form. The bracket assemblies 8, such as the bracket assembly 8 shown in FIG. 5, may also serve as holders for reinforcing bar, commonly known as rebar. Multiple brackets may be installed along the form at regular or irregular intervals. For example, brackets may be installed one inch apart to eight feet apart from each other. Brackets may be installed anywhere along the length of the form 1. Bracket assemblies 8 may be fastened to the form 1 with mechanical fasteners, such as screws, bolts, nuts, and washers.

FIG. 6 shows the bracket assembly 8 of FIG. 5. The bracket assembly 8 in FIG. 6 may be constructed of plastic, copolymer polypropylene, wood, or metal. For example, the bracket assembly may be made from Teflon, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), polypropylene, textured HDPE (high density polyethylene), acrylic, smooth HDPE (high density polyethylene), nylon, UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), or clear polycarbonate or similar materials. The bracket assembly 8 may be made of a combination of the aforementioned materials. The bracket assembly 8 may include one or more rebar holders 9. Rebar holders 9 are advantageous because they hold rebar at fixed locations without the need for rebar ties, wires, zip ties, or other fastening devices. This makes rebar installation and the overall effort of pouring a concrete foundation faster and less labor intensive. The rebar holders 9 in FIG. 6 are shaped to include a passage 10, a holding space 11, and a securing ledge 12. Rebar is simply set in through the passage 10 and slide beneath the securing ledge 12. The securing ledge 12 prevents the rebar from moving upward and dislodging from the rebar holders 9. The passage 10 is defined by two passage walls 13 and 14. The passage 10 is wide enough to allow a piece of standard rebar to pass through it when the rebar is positioned parallel to the base 4 of the form 1. For example, standard U.S. rebar is cylindrical with a diameter ranging from 0.25 inches to 2.337 inches. Standard Canadian rebar is cylindrical with a diameter ranging from 11.3 to 56.4 mm. Standard European rebar is cylindrical with a diameter ranging from 6 mm to 50 mm. The passage 10 may be sized so that passage walls 13 and 14 are wide enough apart to allow a piece of standard U.S., standard Canadian, or standard European rebar to pass between the passage walls 13 and 14. The holding space 11 may be wider than the passage 10 so that a piece of standard rebar may be placed down through the passage 10 and slid over in the holding space 11 to a fixed position under the securing ledge 12. The securing ledge 12 may be sized such that the securing ledge 12 overhangs a portion of the diameter of the rebar, all the diameter of the rebar, or more than the diameter of the rebar.

The bracket assembly 8 in FIG. 6 may contain an inside bracket member 15 and an outside bracket member 16. The inside bracket member 15 may be rectangular. The inside bracket member may be oriented substantially vertically. The outside bracket member 16 may be rectangular. The outside bracket member may be oriented substantially vertically. The inside bracket member 15 may rest against the inside of the inner wall 2. The outside bracket member 16 may rest against the inside of the outer wall 3. For example, FIG. 5 shows a bracket assembly 8 with a rectangular shaped and vertically oriented inside bracket member 15 and a rectangular shaped and vertically oriented outside bracket member 16. The inside bracket member 15, in FIG. 5, rests against the inside of the inner wall 2. The outside bracket member 16, in FIG. 5, rests against the inside of the outer wall 3. The outside bracket member 16 may be taller than the inside bracket member 15. For example, the outside bracket member 16 may be up to forty-eight (48) inches taller than the inside bracket member 15.

As shown in FIG. 7, the inside bracket members 15 and outside bracket members 16 may have quick connect receivers 17. Quick connect receivers 17 provide a location for the horizontal members 18 to clip into. The bracket assembly 8 may have more than one horizontal member 18. The bracket assembly 8 may have two horizontal members 18. As shown in FIG. 7., the quick connect receivers 17 are defined by a first wall 19, a second wall 20, a ceiling 21, a floor 22, and a hanger bar 23. The hanger bar 23 is physically connected to the first wall 19 and to the second wall 20. Hanger bars 23 are located on the side of the outside bracket member 16 that faces the horizontal members 18. Hanger bars 23 are located on the side of the inside bracket member 15 that faces the horizontal members 18. The hanger bars 23 are less wide than the width of the inside bracket member and outside bracket members. The quick connect receivers 17 and horizontal members 18 are designed so the horizontal members 18 can attach to an inside bracket member 15, and an outside bracket member 16 without the use of tools. The ability to easily assemble the bracket assemblies 8 at the construction site allows bracket assemblies 8 to be shipped as separate pieces and assembled on-site. Shipping disassembled brackets is advantageous because it reduces shipping volume and shipping costs that are associated with shipping brackets from a point of production to a construction site. Disassembled brackets can be shipped more compactly than assembled brackets. FIG. 7 shows an example horizontal member 18 that is designed to clip into two quick connect receivers 17. The example horizontal member 18 contains two rebar holders 9. The horizontal member 18 may have one or more rebar holders. The rebar holders 9 may be equally spaced across the horizontal member 18 or non-equally spaced across the horizontal member 18. Each side of the example horizontal member 18 contains a quick connect hanger 24. The quick connect hanger 24 comprises a vertically oriented tab 25. The vertically oriented tab 25 is offset from the horizontal member 18 by an offset ledge 26. The bottom of the vertically oriented tab 25 has a locking tab 27 that protrudes horizontally from the bottom of the vertically oriented tab 25 towards the center of the horizontal member 18. The height of the vertically oriented tab 25 is at least slightly smaller than the vertical distance from the top of the hanger bar 23 to the quick connect receiver ceiling 21. This allows the vertically oriented tab 25 to pass into the area between the top of the hanger bar 23 and the quick connect receiver ceiling 21. The distance between the top of the locking tab 27 and the bottom of the offset ledge 26 is at least slightly larger than the thickness of the hanger bar 23. This configuration allows the quick connect hanger 24 to surround the hanger bar 23 on three sides when the horizontal member 18 is clipped into position. To clip the horizontal member 18 into position, the vertically oriented tab 25 is pushed into the space between the top of the hanger bar 23 and the quick connect receiver ceiling 21. After pushing the vertically oriented tab 25 into the aforementioned space, the horizontal member 18 is moved downward so that the top surface of the hanger bar 23 is in contact with the bottom surface of the offset ledge 26. The horizontal member 18 is then pulled away from the quick connect receiver 17 in order to pull the locking tab 27 into a position that is between the bottom surface of the hanger bar 23 and the quick connect receiver floor 22. When the quick connect hanger 24 and quick connect receiver 17 are positioned so that the locking tab 27 is positioned between the bottom of the hanger bar 23 and the top of the quick connect receiver floor 22, the horizontal member 18 is secured in place and connected to the quick connect receiver and the associated inside bracket member 15 or outside bracket member 16. Once secured in place, the horizontal members 18 are in a fixed position, relative to the inside bracket member 15 and outside bracket member 16 and are prevented from moving. The quick connect receivers 17 may be located at any vertical position between the top and bottom of the inside bracket member 15. The quick connect receivers 17 may be located at any vertical position between the top and bottom of the outside bracket member 16. By changing the vertical location of the quick connect receivers 17, the height of the horizontal members, and therefore the rebar holders 9, may be varied.

FIG. 8 shows a particular embodiment where a form 1 and bracket assembly 8 are holding four pieces of rebar 28 at two different heights and two different horizontal positions. Although FIG. 8 shows two bracket assemblies 8, multiple bracket assemblies 8 may be used. FIG. 9 shows an embodiment where a bracket assembly 8 is holding two adjoining forms 1 together. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment where perimeter horizontal insulation 29 is placed on the outside perimeter of the form 1 in order to minimize the loss of geothermal heat from the ground underneath the foundation to the ambient environment. Perimeter horizontal insulation 29 may be made of a foam material such as expanded polystyrene. Perimeter horizontal insulation 29 may be located so the bottom surface of the perimeter horizontal insulation 29 is substantially parallel or parallel to the bottom surface of the form 1. Substantially parallel is defined here to allow variances that can be reasonably expected when placing two objects in a parallel configuration at a construction site. The perimeter horizontal insulation 29 may be from twelve (12) inches to forty-eight (48) inches wide, when measured from the inner side 30, of the perimeter horizontal insulation 29, to the outer side 31, of the perimeter horizontal insulation 29. Reducing the width of perimeter insulation is advantageous because it allows shrubs, trees, and other plants with deep roots to be planted closer to the structure that is built on the concrete slab foundation. Also shown in FIG. 10 is a horizontal insulating slab 32 that covers the entire area encompassed by forms 1. The horizontal insulating slab 32 minimizes geothermal heat loss from the earth below the foundation. A concrete slab 33 extends from the outer surface of the outer wall 3 to cover the entire footprint of the foundation. A portion of the concrete slab 33 is located on top of the horizontal insulating slab 32 in FIG. 10. In-floor, radiant heating tubes 34 may be included. The horizontal insulating slab 32 is beneficial when used with a concrete foundation that contains in-floor, radiant heating because the horizontal insulating slab minimizes heat loss from the concrete slab 33 to the earth below.

EXAMPLE 1

A slab on grade foundation was poured using the form 1 and bracket assembly 8. FIG. 11 shows the ground 35 at the job site was first leveled with earth moving equipment to be approximately the shape of the building that would subsequently be constructed on the foundation. Earth moving equipment may include a payloader, a skid steer loader, or the like. The perimeter of the leveled ground was excavated to create a trench that was slightly larger than the foam form 1. The trench was approximately four (4) feet wide and one and a half (1.5) feet deep. Two to four inches of pea gravel 36 was placed in the bottom of the trench to provide a level surface for placing the forms 1 on top of. Alternatively, one to twelve inches of pea gravel may be used. Using pea gravel is advantageous in that it provides a level surface for the form 1 to rest on and requires less labor, compared to leveling the dirt under the forms. The area between the vertical inner wall 2 and the ground 35 was filled with fill material 37 as shown in FIG. 11. Fill material may include compacted earth, pea gravel, crushed rock, and other fill materials commonly used in construction. Adjoining forms were connected with bracket assemblies 8 as shown in FIG. 9. Corner pieces were created by cutting the foam forms at the job site. Bracket assemblies 8 were assembled in the field without the use of tools. The design of the brackets allowed workers to assemble the bracket assemblies 8 by combining the inside bracket member 15, outside bracket member 16, and horizontal members 18 using their hands only. Assembled bracket units 8 were then placed in the foam form 1 at regular intervals. The bracket assemblies 8 were fastened to the foam form 1 using bolts, washers, screws and nuts. The bracket assemblies 8 were installed thirty-two (32) to forty-eight (48) inches apart from each other. Rebar was placed in rebar holders 9 at two different height levels and at two different horizontal positions at each level, as shown in FIG. 8. Because of the shape of the rebar holders 9, rebar was installed without the use of wire ties or other rebar fastening hardware. Rebar was placed through the passage 10 into the holding space 11 and slid under the securing ledge 12 of the rebar holders 9. In this way, rebar installation was easily accomplished by hand and rebar was prevented from moving after being placed in the brackets. The leveled ground 35, shown in FIG. 11, was covered by eight (8) to sixteen (16) inches of pea gravel. Alternatively, the leveled ground 35 may be covered by one (1) to twenty (20) inches of pea gravel, depending on form depth. Perimeter horizontal insulation 29 was placed around the perimeter of the forms 1. The width of the perimeter horizontal insulation 29 was twelve (12) inches. A horizontal insulating slab 32 was created with slabs of rectangular foam and covered the entire surface of the leveled ground 35. In-floor, radiant heating tubes were placed above the horizontal insulating slab 32, along with additional rebar to provide structure for the concrete slab foundation. Bracing was created by temporarily attaching a vertical reinforcer 38 and a horizontal reinforcer 39, to the outer edge of the outer wall 3. The vertical reinforcer 38 and horizontal reinforcer 39 provided structure when screeding the wet concrete and were removed after the concrete was dry. The vertical reinforcer 38 and horizontal reinforcer 39 were wood strips in this example but could be another material such as plastic or metal. A vertical reinforcer 38 was attached to the outer wall 3 of the form 1. A horizontal reinforcer 39 was attached on top of the form 1 and extended horizontally outward from the form 1 as shown in FIG. 11. Concrete was poured and leveled to create a flat concrete slab foundation that filled the forms 1 with concrete and covered the horizontal insulating slab 32 with concrete to create a flat foundation that was 4 inches thick in the center and extended to the outer edge of the outer wall 3 on all sides.

FIG. 12 shows an overhead view of two forms 1 that are joined at the non-uniform side 7 and are held together by two corner brackets, 40 and 41. FIG. 13 shows a first view of the corner brackets, 40 and 41. The corner brackets, 40 and 41, each contain two sides, 42 and 43. The angle between the two sides, 42 and 43, is shown with a double-sided arrow in FIG. 13. The angle may be a 90-degree angle so that the corner brackets, 40 and 41, fit snuggly with a 90-degree angled corner, such as the corner in FIG. 3. The angle, in FIG. 13, may be a 135-degree angled corner so that the corner brackets, 40 and 41, fit snuggly with a 135-degree angled corner, such as the corner in FIG. 4. The angle, in FIG. 13 may be an angle that is greater than 0-degrees and less than 180-degrees, to accommodate different corner configurations. FIG. 14 shows a second view of the corner brackets, 40 and 41. FIG. 14 shows that the corner brackets, 40 and 41, each contain two sides, 42 and 43. The corner brackets, 40 and 41, may range in height from four (4) inches to forty-eight (48) inches, as measured from the bottom of the corner brackets, 40 and 41, to the top of the corner brackets, 40 and 41. The sides, 42 and 43, may be one (1) inch wide to six (6) inches wide, as measured from the center of the corner to the distal end of each of the two sides, 42 and 43.

FIG. 15 shows a compact bundle of forms 1 and other pieces of the form system. A side view of four forms 1 is shown in FIG. 15. Other rectangular pieces of the form system are shown as being stacked on top of each other and contained within the forms 1. Rectangular shaped pieces of foam with varying dimensions are shown as 44, 45, 46, and 47 in FIG. 15. The rectangular shaped pieces of foam 44, 45, 46, and 47 may include the perimeter horizontal insulation 29. The rectangular shaped pieces of foam 44, 45, 46, and 47 may include pieces of foam that are used to create the horizontal insulating slab 32. The forms 1 and pieces of foam 44, 45, 46, and 47, shown in FIG. 15, may have dimensions that are within the size ranges of the forms 1, perimeter horizontal insulation 29, and horizontal insulating slab 32 as described in this application. The length of the forms 1 and rectangular pieces of foam 44, 45, 46, and 47 may be one (1) foot to sixteen (16) feet long, as measured from the front of the compact bundle shown in FIG. 15 (closest to the viewer) to the rear of the compact bundle shown in FIG. 15 (into the page and furthest from the viewer). Accordingly, the forms 1 and rectangular shaped pieces of foam 44, 45, 46, and 47 may range in length from one (1) foot to sixteen (16) feet long. 

We claim:
 1. A form for pouring a concrete foundation, the form comprising: a vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall; a horizontally oriented base connected to the bottom of the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall and positioned perpendicular to the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall; and a vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped inner wall connected to and located above the opposite side of the horizontally oriented base as the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall.
 2. The form of claim 1, wherein the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall comprises a top surface, said top surface being angled.
 3. The form of claim 1, wherein the form is made of a continuous piece of foam material.
 4. The form of claim 1, wherein the form is made of a continuous piece of expanded polystyrene material.
 5. The form of claim 1, wherein the form is made of a continuous piece of material, said continuous piece of material having an R-value between four and eighteen.
 6. The form of claim 1, wherein the form comprises an at least one bracket, said at least one bracket being connected to the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall and the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped inner wall.
 7. The form of claim 6, wherein the at least one bracket is made of a material, wherein the material includes at least one member of the group consisting of: copolymer polypropylene, plastic, wood, metal, teflon, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), polypropylene, textured HDPE (high density polyethylene), acrylic, smooth HDPE (high density polyethylene), nylon, UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), and clear polycarbonate.
 8. The form of claim 6, wherein the at least one bracket comprises a means for holding rebar.
 9. The form of claim 6, wherein the at least one bracket comprises a means for holding rebar at more than one horizonal position and more than one vertical position.
 10. The form of claim 8, wherein the means for holding rebar comprises a passage for a rebar to pass though, a holding space located below the passage and offset in the horizontal direction, and a securing ledge located above the holding space, wherein said securing ledge prevents the rebar from moving upward when the rebar is positioned in the holding space.
 11. The form of claim 10, wherein the at least one bracket comprises two vertically oriented members and two horizontally oriented members, wherein the two horizontally oriented members are located between the two vertically oriented members, wherein the two horizontally oriented members comprise a means for connecting to the two vertically oriented members, and wherein the two vertically oriented members comprise a means for connecting to the two horizontally oriented members.
 12. The form of claim 1, wherein a length of the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped inner wall and a length of the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall are different to create a non-uniform side for mating up with another form and creating an angled corner of a foundation.
 13. A bracket for pouring a concrete foundation, the bracket comprising: a first vertically oriented member, said first vertically oriented member comprising at least one quick connect receiver; a second vertically oriented member, said second vertically oriented member comprising at least one quick connect receiver; a first horizontally oriented member, said first horizontally oriented member comprising a quick connect hanger at each of its distal ends; a second horizontally oriented member, said second horizontally oriented member comprising a quick connect hanger at each of its distal ends; wherein the first horizontally oriented member and the second horizontally oriented member are located between the first vertically oriented member and the second vertically oriented member; wherein the first horizontally oriented member is connected to the first vertically oriented member and to the second vertically oriented member; and wherein the second horizontally oriented member is connected to the first vertically oriented member and to the second vertically oriented member.
 14. The bracket of claim 13, wherein the first horizontally oriented member and the second horizontally oriented member comprise an at least one means for holding rebar.
 15. The bracket of claim 14, wherein the at least one means for holding rebar comprises a passage for a rebar to pass though, a holding space located below the passage and offset in the horizontal direction, and a securing ledge located above the holding space, wherein said securing ledge prevents the rebar from moving upward when the rebar is positioned in the holding space.
 16. The bracket of claim 15, wherein means for holding rebar are present at more than one horizontal position and more than one vertical position.
 17. The bracket of claim 16, wherein the bracket is made of a material, wherein the material includes at least one member of the group consisting of: copolymer polypropylene, plastic, wood, metal, teflon, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), polypropylene, textured HDPE (high density polyethylene), acrylic, smooth HDPE (high density polyethylene), nylon, UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), and clear polycarbonate.
 18. A method of pouring a slab on grade, concrete foundation, the method comprising: providing one or more forms, said one or more forms comprising a vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall, a horizontally oriented base connected to the bottom of the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall and positioned perpendicular to the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall, and a vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped inner wall connected to and located above the opposite side of the horizontally oriented base as the vertically oriented, rectangularly shaped outer wall; digging a perimeter trench that defines an outer perimeter boundary of the slab on grade, concrete foundation; placing pea gravel in the bottom of the perimeter trench; placing the one or more forms in the perimeter trench, on top of the pea gravel; placing perimeter horizontal insulation on the outside of the one or more forms; placing a horizontal insulating slab on an area located within the outer perimeter boundary; and pouring concrete into the one or more forms and on top of the horizontal insulating slab.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein an in-floor heating is installed to provide a source of heat to the inside of the concrete, wherein heat radiates upward and is prevented from radiating downward due to the horizontal insulating slab, said horizontal insulating slab being located beneath the concrete.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein an earth is located underneath the slab on grade, concrete foundation, said earth being prevented from freezing due to the nature and positioning of the one or more forms and the perimeter insulation. 